At least four people were killed and 28 others injured, mostly teens, in a Saturday night shooting at a birthday party in Alabama, officials said, in the latest spasm of American gun mass violence.
Local news reports said the shooting occurred at a Sweet 16 party at a dance studio in Dadeville, a small town northeast of the state capital Montgomery.
"There were four lives tragically lost in this incident, and there's been a multitude of injuries," Sergeant Jeremy Burkett, a spokesman for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, told reporters on Sunday. He said some of those wounded were in critical condition.
He urged residents to come forward with any information they might have related to the attack. But Mr Burkett provided no further details on how the shooting unfolded or why.
Four people killed and 28 injured in Alabama birthday party shooting
"Jill and I are praying for their families, and for the many others injured and fighting for their lives in the wake of this weekend’s gun violence," US President Joe Biden said in a statement.
"What has our nation come to when children cannot attend a birthday party without fear? When parents have to worry every time their kids walk out the door to school, to the movie theater, or to the park? Guns are the leading killer of children in America, and the numbers are rising – not declining."
Annette Allen said her grandson Phil Dowdell, a high school senior who was to graduate within weeks, was among those who died. He was celebrating his sister Alexis's 16th birthday when gunfire began.
“He was a very, very humble child. Never messed with anybody. Always had a smile on his face,” Ms Allen told the Montgomery Advertiser, adding that Phil's mother was shot and wounded.
“Everybody's grieving,” Ms Allen said of the small community.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said its State Bureau of Investigations has launched a probe together with Dadeville police and federal agencies including the FBI.
Television station WRBL of nearby Columbus, Georgia, reported heavy police activity overnight and crime scene tape around a building in Dadeville, where it said white sheets could be seen covering parts of the floor.
State leaders took to Twitter on Sunday offering prayers and decrying violence but they did not provide details on what happened.
“This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamians,” state Governor Kay Ivey wrote. “Violent crime has NO place in our state."
Senator Tommy Tuberville called the shooting “heartbreaking”.
There are 400 million firearms in the US, a country of about 330 million people, and deadly mass shootings are a regular occurrence.
"This is outrageous and unacceptable. Americans agree and want lawmakers to act on commonsense gun safety reforms," Mr Biden said.
Efforts to tighten gun controls have for years run up against opposition from Republicans, staunch defenders of the constitutional right to bear arms.
The political paralysis endures despite widespread outrage over recurring shootings.
"Our communities need and deserve better," Mr Biden added.
Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
